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A Pup's Purpose

Last
night I watched ‘Hachi: A Dog’s Tale’ – The movie ended, the sobbing ceased and yet the cathartic role pets play in our lives continued - With Pluto sat next to me, I realised I’m so grateful
for the absolute healers, the real givers - the 3 pets I’ve had in my life.
Each have had their own personalities and their own quirks (Oh ya, it’s a
complete package, buddy! Perfection is boring, remember!!?)

And here’s how the story unfolds.. Scene 1: Falling in love
with Natasha .. Scene 2: Goofy makes a grand entry… Scene
3: Pluto leaps into our life.. Scene 4: And we live
together happily (ever after I truly hope)… Happy reading..

We were
at Lonavala, a hill station near Bombay - As an afternoon getaway, we visited a
farmhouse recommended by my dad's friend (my mom still wonders if he was indeed
a "friend") - on sale were little pups - amidst all the oohs and
aahs, a Pomeranian (the Spitz type) pup caught our attention.. White as snow,
she seemed like a cotton ball with 4 tiny limbs - Tuku & I immediately
knew we were in LOVE!

Natasha* taught me a lesson or two
in love at first sight and fighting to make it work. I still
remember my mom’s threatening/ deafening “You have a choice – You can either
choose me OR the dog”.. Was beyond stunned when my frozen mind had absolutely
NO control over the arm that was moving toward the cardboard box that had the
pup in it – I was actually considering the choice - Was almost choosing someone
else (a pup!!!) over my Amma**..

Convincing mommy to allow a pet – a family member that once held her
captive on the sofa for couple hours, would gnaw at the furniture, bite off
shoes (and homework!!), refused to eat for days on end at times - wasn’t easy!
Yet, in the 4.5 years, Natasha kept the family together (dealing with 2 teenagers
ain’t easy, remember!?). She was my mom’s saathi when ‘the man of the home’
turned into an entrepreneur and invested 16-18 hours * 6 days a week setting up
a business, when the teenage son turned to hours of football to qualify into
the school team and the daughter travelled 1.5 hours each way to pursue
college..

As a teenager I vividly remember
Natasha as the one companion that never judged me – our endless walks by the
beautiful Powai lake watching traffic (and life) go by.. Having her by my side
when devouring books after book, huddled together in the top section of the
bunkbed.. Confiding in her about the excitements and the inhibitions of city
life (moving from the suburbs as a teenager ain’t easy!).. She made a real
difference, esp on days when you were bullied/ ragged, felt like things didn’t
go right – even on days when you nearly flunked your math test!

She also taught Sridhar, Tuku & I
our 1st lessons in PMS, MS rather! Those 3-4 days, you just let
her be.. bhooki, pyaasi or whatever it is that she chose to be. Even the best
humanitarian efforts would invite a growl and a snarl – you dare pulled her out
of her hiding and she’d threaten to dig those tiny canines right through your
flesh! On Day 4, she would return like NOTHING happened – hey bro, why aren’t
you hanging out with me types (Ahem, reminds us of a few people we know around
us, doesn’t she!!!).. Losing her to gastroenteritis was one of the biggest
blows in our early years!

His Royal Highness Goofy entered
our lives right after I got married – rather replaced me at my ‘Maika’***. A
gorgeous Golden Retreiver, who exhibited ALL signs of ‘Royalty’, including a
deep-rooted self-belief that the sole purpose everyone around him was born was to pamper His
Royal Highness, Goofy was a harbinger of good times! An adorable pup that pawed
his way into our hearts, Goofy saw us through graduations, marriages,
child-births.. He was equally by our side when divorces and death of loved ones
caught us unaware..

A true soulmate to Tuku, Goofy was the
most magnificent-hearted fellow that lived the ‘sharing is
caring’ value through the 10.5 years.. He saw Tuku through his ‘I want
parakeets as pets’ phase and baby-sat them through the day in the courtyard
when mom threw them out of the house – That evening, he consoled Tuku when he
had no choice but to let zoozoo & zizu (the parakeets) fly out in order for
Tuku to have a roof on his head (Talk about being raised by a powerful mom)!!

Equally, Goofy taught us lessons in how
the strongest of personalities have their weaknesses – how serious
and deep-rooted phobias can be; how people aren’t really ‘making it up’ when
you see those bizarre reactions! Terrified of loud noise (crackers,
thunderstorms), Goofy would be quite a different personality on these days –
Restless, helplessly aggressive and in deep pain, he’d look cowardly helpless –
defying his otherwise royal, confident look! We’d stuff mounds of cotton balls
in his ears and tie endless meters and layers of cloth around his face to lessen the impact, and yet his heart would
be racing, leaping out of his mouth every time a cracker went off or a thunder
rolled! He’d want to bury himself into wardrobes & shelves, among walls to
see if he could get a minute’s reprieve.. It was heart-wrenching to see him
discard his royalty and behave worse than a mere commoner.. Diwali, New Year's and the monsoon season - things that excite most people made him super nervous - Quite a paradox, given that he was otherwise a super-happy doggy and loved social dos and celebrations!!

When he mated & had 6 pups, the
bitch’s family (no offence) raised their hands and gave away the responsibility
to us! To mom’s ire, Goofy willingly shared his space with his 6 little ones!
While 5 of them found beautiful homes in no time (they were born to royalty, remember!?),
Goofy had a special attachment to the 6th one – the lanky
fellow – slightly darker and leaner than the other fatsos, we named him ‘bizu’
for the time being! In the 3-4 days that they all lived with us, he’d
ensure this pup ate before him – he’d watch over him, pull him
back keeping him out of trouble.. ! It was this absolute bonding between Goofy
and this pup that convinced mom (of all people!!) to take the 6th pup off the
adoption charts – That’s how Pluto entered our lives!

Pluto, the
naughtiest yet the MOST obedient pup we’ve ever had, entered our lives in
Mar’10, incidentally the same time that Rhea was conceived! I call him my ‘1st born’
for this reason – he taught me my 1st lessons in
selflessness! When I moved to my parents' for child-birth, Pluto donned the
role of the absolute care-taker. From the time I entered home from work, till
the minute I stepped out, Pluto was like my shadow – my extended self!
Demanding that his bed be moved to my bedroom, tugging at me to accompany when
dad/ mom took him for walks, watching over me when I walked inside the home on
rainy evenings, sitting by my side when I’d read endless baby books waiting for Raj to turn up for dinner.. He’d be tired, yet it seemed like he had a responsibility to undertake.. He'd retire to bed a little after Raj showed up! I’d share my anxieties about the baby within
and he’d lick my feet and/or my tears off as the case may be – absolutely
assuring me that it was all bound to be fine! In short, the company he provided was unbelievably magical, absolutely reiterating the special bond you could form with a pup!!

While I loved Goofy & Pluto to bits, one of my anxieties was also about how
they’d adapt to the new born – Would they be as caring? Will they be jealous?
Will they be okay with an intruder seeking more attention than them!? What if….
while one of us weren’t around.. I put these away, directed myself to numerous
articles on the to-dos, precaution to be taken..

And then Rhea arrived! As
advised by most sources, I sent back the new-born's clothes so they could
sniff, get used to the baby’s scent and not react when we brought Rhea home! All
went well – they welcomed us beautifully as we brought the baby home! Yet the
anxiety stayed.. “what if”.. “they are animals, after-all…”.. The post-partum,
drugged me asked for a 1.5-foot wooden plank to be put as a partition so my pups
couldn’t enter the bedroom where the baby and I spent all our waking &
sleeping hours.. they could see me, hear me but had NO access to me!

Goofy was alright with this sudden change – the mature 4 year-old that he was,
he took it in his stride! Pluto was NOT – What about ME he seemed to complain!
What happened in these 3 days his eyes questioned - I gave you my every
minute this past month and this is what I get in return!? You called
me your baby, your first-born- Clearly this is NOT what you do to real
off-springs, do you! 24 hours went by – Pluto wouldn’t move from near the
bedroom door.. his gorgeous lean face flat on the ground, he waited endlessly,
never giving up!

An absolute sport lover, his ability to catch a tennis ball 3-4 feet in the air
is the talk of the vicinity – we call him the fielding coach for the Indian
Cricket team! His ability to fetch it from 300-400 meters in a matter of
seconds is worth a watch! Even these games wouldn’t distract him – he was very clear – he wanted us to trust him! Disinterested in everything else – the chap had stayed at the spot every
minute except his feed time and walks! 36 hours of this drama ensued and he emerged as the winner! The partition
was removed and he was allowed into the room!! (P.S.
Thanks to him, Goofy got a free entry without any effort! Talk about the perks
of being a royal! :D)..

Yet they were being watched.. Alas, within a day or two, they proved that they were
“family” - our BEST friends! They’d sit up alert if the baby even as much as
moved in her sleep.. They’d be as stressed out as any family member if the baby
had a colic attack.. What a folly I'd made.. I'd doubted my soulmates with my baby's safety! Thankfully, I never repeated it when Dhruv was born (even though I was more drugged and was really edgy by the time we brought the baby home!)

Watching Rhea & Dhruv grow amidst them has been the most wonderful
experience.. They’ve been with us when we convinced Rhea that she needs to walk
on two limbs (and not four), counselled Dhruv that it’s not the best idea to
put his hand into their mouth – they were tired of turning their face the other
way and finally figured out that dad’s office was off-limit for “babies” but
accessible for pups (And what’s better – it’s the best destination for our
undisturbed afternoon siestas – a concept unknown to this hyper-mom n her
off-springs, they resonated!).. Ever since, there’s been no looking back –
Absolutely a part of the family, we have celebrated every little and big milestone for us and for them, with equal joy - Except that the ITCs & the Marriotts don't allow us to bring them along!! Worse still, they (the pets of course) are not into selfies and don't do the brilliant pout - Oh what a shame! They just look their natural, gorgeous selves :D

Absolutely royal even in his (sudden) death, Goofy joined Natasha in Jan'17 and
am sure these two look over us and wish us the best in every walk of life….

*Okie, NO apologies to all the gorgeous women that
share the same name (it ain’t my fault IF you and/or the person reading this post aren’t pet-lovers)! The real
reason for the name though - Was 12 and quite certain that I wanted to exchange
‘the brat of a brother’ for a lovely, caring sister. Since I got little support
from the family (and society at large), it was revenge time – naming a pup that
confused people (Is she referring to the pup or a sister!?) No really, you named your
“dog” Natasha!!?? Talk about tween rebellion :D

**Years later, I repeated this when it came to choosing my life partner.. P.S.
Of course it was after numerous rounds of discussions - Dad continues played a
pivotal role and now the mom is very much by my side - in fact the problem has changed - now she sides with the man, more than she sides with me!! Ahem...
***For the uninitiated, Maika = your family home.. AND I still hold it against Tuku
that he waited right until I proceeded on my honeymoon before he brought the
pup home!!

Comments

Alka said…

Aww..thanks for sharing Nita...your blog post really tugged at my heartstrings. How lucky you all are to have not one, two, but three amazing angels in your lives! Big hugs to Pluto, and I am really looking forward to more doggy stories :-)

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